~ Gallery - Amenities ~
The Recreation Ground, Lower Gornal.
Just after the conclusion of the Great War, there was talk that a fitting Memorial would be a much needed Recreation Ground for Lower Gornal.
There was much interest from the locals around this time in providing a recreation ground and playing fields for the young people of Gornal, and the Abbey Farm grounds in the centre of the village was of particular interest for this purpose.
When the land did come up for sale in the early 1920s, Sedgley U.D.C. missed the chance of acquiring it due to financial restraints, and the property once again past into private ownership.
A prolonged search still continued for suitable ground into the 1930s, and then fortunately in 1932 a possibility that the Abbey grounds may come back onto the market and attention was again focused here.
Sedgley U.D.C. once again made efforts to acquire part or all of the land, however negotiations were protracted and difficult with the owner reluctant to sell off at a price the council could afford, and so with an uncertain outcome, other spaces were still being considered at this time.
Finally, in 1935, a six acres piece of the Abbey land was secured at a cost of around £1000, and Gornal now had its own public space, much credit was given to Councillor Pratt who had pursued this project over a number of years.
Gornal 'Rec' is still in use, cared for and enjoyed by the kids of today, however as always such a prime piece of land is a magnet for the developers.
~